Belt traverse device

ABSTRACT

A belt-type traverse device employing resilient means to reverse a reciprocating traverse guide, and profiled cams interacting cooperatively with cam driver members to control the linear displacement of the traverse guide.

Unite I? States atent Inventors Don E. Fisher Pensacola, Fla; Lawrence E. Blackmon, Foley, Ala.; John D. Aumen, Gulf Breeze, Fla.

[56] References Cited UN TTED STATES PATENTS 2,301,699 11/1942 Heliand 242/43 X 2,685,417 8/1954 Barteison 242/154 X 2,713,980 7/1955 Roberts et a1. 242/158 2,715,505 8/1955 Atkins 242/154 X 3,048,342 8/1962 Tata 242/43 3,193,207 7/1965 Sear et a1. 242/43 3,499,616 3/1970 McClean 242/158 B FOREIGN PATENTS 12,071 1911 Great Britain 242/158 B Primary Examiner-Stanley N. Gilrea th AttorneyStan1ey M. Tarter ABSTRACT: A belt-type traverse device employing resilient means to reverse a reciprocating traverse guide, and profiled cams interacting cooperatively with cam driver members to control the linear displacement of the traverse guide.

PATENTED AUB31 Ian 3,602,447

INVENTORS D. E. FISHER L. E. BLACKMON J. D. AUMEN AGENT BELT TRAVERSE DEVICE BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to provide an improved, highspeed belt-type traverse device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The basic components of the belt traverse device comprises a driven belt, a traverse guide having a cam member and a yarn guide, belt and pulley cam driver pins and resilient traverse guide reversing means.

The cam member has superimposed cam profiles or surfaces that cooperate engagingly with the belt and pulley driver pins to control the velocity of the traverse guide linearly approaching and departing a reversal while the resilient means biasingly control the traverse guide reversals.

The advantages provided are rapid traverse guide reversals, controlled traverse guide displacement approaching and departing a traverse guide reversal, high-speed operation and reduced wear of components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONOF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of the belt traverse device of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the traverse guide 22 of the invention,

FIG. 3 is an elevation view taken through plane 33 of FIG. 1, and,

FIGS. 4-7 are elevation views of the left side of FIG. 3 with portions cut away illustrating the components in related operative positions during a reversal of the traverse guide 22.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawing, the belt traverse device comprises a continuous conveyor or belt 2 laced or looped about a pair of spaced pulleys 4 and 6. Pulley 6 is driven by a motor 8 and pulley 4 is journaled to rotate in a block 10. Pulleys 4 and 6 have parallel axes and are spaced to provide linear stretches of opposed, upper and lower belt strands 12 and 14, respectively, that travel in opposite directions.

A pair of spaced, upper and lower guide rails, 16 and 18 respectively, having a longitudinal slot 20 defined therebetween, are positioned adjacent to belt 2 opposite the driven side thereof. Rails 16 and 18 are in parallel alignment with belt strands 12 and 14, and are positioned wherein longitudinal slot 20 has an alignment between the belt strands.

A traverse guide 22, FIG. 3, is positioned in slot 20 and is slidably constrained between rails 18 and 20 to move linearly back and forth. Traverse guide 22 has a cam member 24 attached thereto at its backside facing belt 2, and has a yarn guide 26 at its front side opposite the cam member 24, FIG. 2. A yarn slot 28 is defined in yarn guide 26, and a yarn 30 is normally positioned therein and traversed by guide 26.

Cam member 24 has a pair of superimposed, inner and outer, slotted cam surfaces or profiles cut therein. The inner cam profile is rhomboidal or diamond shaped and has four similar convexly curved sidewalls 32. Curved sidewalls 32 extend, preferably, to the point of intersection at the opposite lateral diamond nodes. At the upper and lower nodes, curved sidewalls 32, preferably, are not generated to the point of intersection but have opposed linear, spaced extensions con nected by a radius.

The outer cam profile is superimposed surroundingly over the inner cam profile and comprises separate upper and lower, spaced, profiled segments defining a space or opening 34 on the left side and an opening 36 on the right side therebetween, FIG. 3. The outer cam segments form inverted V's and have profiled, curved sidewalls 38 that parallel and follow the curvature of the inner sidewalls 32. Curved sidewalls 38 ,are joined by curved radii and are generated in a plane offset from in stepped relation surrounding the inner sidewalls 32.

Each pulley 4 and 6, is provided with a pulley driver pin, 40 and 42, respectively, in the form of a round pin with a notch or recess 44 therein, FIG. 3. Pins 40 and 42 are positioned on the front faces or flanges of pulleys 4 and 6, respectively, and are fixedly attached thereto by suitable means (pinning, tacking, etc.) along the outer circumferences thereof. Pins 40 and 42 operate cooperatively with curved sidewalls 38 of the outer cam profile.

A belt driver pin 46 is mounted on belt 2 and projects perpendicularly from the longitudinal belt axis into the space between curved sidewalls 32 and into contact therewith. Driver pin 46, when carried along the upper and lower belt strands 12 and 14, is positioned at either the upper or lower node of sidewalls 32 contactingly engaging the short linear extensions. thereof, and thus drives traverse guide 22 reciprocably back and forth, FIG. 3. The upper and lower linear extensions of sidewalls 32 prevent the belt driver pin 46 from slipping when the latter is traversing guide 22 in reciprocating strokes between reversals.

A resilient means is provided at opposed ends of and between guide rails 16 and 18 adjacent the outer peripheries of pulleys 4 and 6. As illustrated, the resilient means comprises a spring 48 positioned with a free end facing a respective end wall 50 of traverse guide 22. Opposite its free end, spring 48 is mounted in a pot or casing 52, and is secured therein by a transversely arranged pin 54. Preferably, each casing 52 is mounted threadingly in a wall 56 and is adjustably positionable toward and away from an end' wall 50 of traverse guide 22 for positioning the spring 48 to provide selectively biased contact with traverse guide 22 and thus differently pro grammed reversal patterns. Preferably, the inner end of casing 52 is filled with an elastomer 58 such as polyurethane, rubber or the like, so that the inner end of spring 48 is embedded in the elastomer and acts to dampen vibration of spring 52.

Curved sidewalls 38 are generated curvilinearly to control the linear displacement of traverse guide 22 as a function of the sinusoidal linear displacement of pins 40, 42 and 46 when the latter are in circular motion so that traverse guide 22, approaching and departing a resilient reversal, is displaced, preferably, at substantially the same constant velocity at which the traverse guide 22 is traversed back and forth in its linear strokes.

In operation, assume that belt 2 is driven by pulley 6 and is rotating in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed looking into the backside of traverse device 22, FIG. 3. Driver pin 46, attached fixedly to belt 2 and positioned in the uppermost end of the inner cam, then will be driving traverse guide 22 leftwardly, FIG. 3. When pin 46 approaches near the point of reversal around pulley 4, FIG. 4, pulley pin 40 is synchronized to circulate into opening 34 of the cam, FIG. 6, and to rotate engagingly over the upper left cam sidewall 38 whereby both pin 46 and pin 40 act to linearly displace traverse guide 22 leftwardly at a constant velocity.

Pin 40 and pin 46 meet when pin 40 reaches the top of pulley 4. Pin 46 is received by and positions itself within notch 44 of pin 40. Both pins 40 and 46 then travel together with pin 40 revolving around pin 46. As pin 46 begins its reversal around pulley' 4, for the first approximate 55 of travel, momentum displaces traverse guide 22 leftwardly so that the upper right cam sidewalls 32 and 38 are displaced adjacently close to or into contact with pins 40 and 46, respectively. Spring 48 is adjusted to be in a position whereby the left endwall 50 of traverse device 22 then contacts spring 48, and during the next approximate 70 of pin 46 travel the left endwall 50 of traverse guide 22 forcibly compresses spring 48 a predetermined degree and is then reversed by the expansion of spring 48. While traverse guide 22 is being reversed by spring 48, pins 40 and 46 free flight from the upper right curved sidewalls 32 and 38 into contact with the lower right curved sidewalls 32 and 38. Pin 46 bypasses the node between the upper and lower right curved sidewalls 32, while pin 40 travels past opening 36. For the final approximate 55 of travel of pin 46 around pulley 4, pins 40 and 46 contact the lower right curved sidewalls 38 and 32, respectively, and displace the traverse guide 22 rightwardly at a constant velocity.

Both pins 40 and 46 will now be positioned at the lower end of their respective cam sidewalls 32 and 38, FIG. 2, with pin 40 contacting the radius connecting sidewalls 38 and pin 46 contacting the linear extensions of sidewalls 32. Belt 2 then drives pin 46 rightwardly thereby driving traverse guide 22 rightwardly at a constant velocity while pulley 4 rotates pin 40 upwardly contactingly over the lower left curved sidewall 38. With the traverse guide 22 moving rightwardly, pin 40 smoothly passes or exits from cam member 24 through opening 34.

The traverse guide 22 reversal described was at the left side, FIG. 3. Since the belt traverse device is constructed so that the right side is a mirror image of the left side, the reversal at the right side is effected in a manner similarly to that on the left side with the sequence of operations and directions being reversed.

We claim:

1. A belt traverse device comprising:

a. a belt mounted to circulate about a pair of spaced pulleys,

b. means for driving at least one of said pulleys,

c. a traverse guide provided with a yarn guide and a cam member having a pair of cam profiles,

(1. guide means for guiding said traverse guide,

e. a belt cam driver member mounted on said belt and operatively engaging one of said pair of cam profiles,

f. a notched pulley cam driver member mounted on each of said pulleys in said pair, said pulley cam driver members being operatively engageable with said other of said pair of cam profiles,

g. a respective resilient member positioned near a respective pulley and having engagement with said traverse guide in the reversals for effecting a resilient reversal of said traverse guide.

2. A belt traverse device as in claim 1 wherein said pair of cam profiles are generated to produce a reciprocable displacement of said traverse guide at a substantially constant velocity at all times except when said traverse guide is in engagement with said resilient members.

3. A traverse device as in claim 1 wherein said resilient members are adjustable.

4. A belt traverse device comprising in combination,

a. a continuous belt and pulley drive assembly,

b. a reciprocating traverse guide provided with a yarn guide and a cam member having a pair of superimposed, profiled surfaces with complementary curvilinear surfaces and wherein one of said pair of profiled surfaces is segmental in structure,

c. guide means for guiding said reciprocating traverse guide,

(1. cam driver means carried on said driven by said belt and pulley drive assembly and including a pair of cam driver members engageable with said one profiled surface, and including a third cam driver member engageable with the other of said pair of superimposed, profiled surfaces,

e. resilient means engageable with said reciprocating traverse guide for effecting biased traverse guide reversing.

5. A belt traverse device as in claim 4 wherein each cam driver member in said pair of cam driver members is notched.

6; A belt traverse device comprising in combination,

a. endless means mounted on spaced, rotating members at least one of which is driven,

b. traverse rails,

c. a traverse guide mounted to reciprocate on said traverse rails and provided with a yarn guide and a pair of cams,

(1. Cam driver means carried on said endless means for operatively contacting one of said pair of cams, and carried on said rotating members to operatively contact the other of said pair of cams in the reversals of said reciprocating traverse guide.

7. A belt traverse device as in claim 6 further comprising resilient means for engaging with said traverse guide in the reversals of the-latter. 

1. A belt traverse device comprising: a. a belt mounted to circulate about a pair of spaced pulleys, b. means for driving at least one of said pulleys, c. a traverse guide provided with a yarn guide and a cam member having a pair of cam profiles, d. guide means for guiding said traverse guide, e. a belt cam driver member mounted on said belt and operatively engaging one of said pair of cam profiles, f. a notched pulley cam driver member mounted on each of said pulleys in said pair, said pulley cam driver members being operatively engageable with said other of said pair of cam profiles, g. a respective resilient member positioned near a respective pulley and having engagement with said traverse guide in the reversals for effecting a resilient reversal of said traverse guide.
 2. A belt traverse device as in claim 1 wherein said pair of cam profiles are generated to produce a reciprocable displacement of said traverse guide at a substantially constant velocity at all times except when said traverse guide is in engagement with said resilient members.
 3. A traverse device as in claim 1 wherein said resilient members are adjustable.
 4. A belt traverse device comprising in combination, a. a continuous belt and pulley drive assembly, b. a reciprocating traverse guide provided with a yarn guide and a cam member having a pair of superimposed, profiled surfaces with complementary curvilinear surfaces and wherein one of said pair of profiled surfaces is segmental in structure, c. guide means for guiding said reciprocating traverse guide, d. cam driver means carried on said driven by said belt and pulley drive assembly and including a pair of cam driver members engageable with said one profiled surface, and including a third cam driver member engageable with the other of said pair of superimposed, profiled surfaces, e. resilient means engageable with said reciprocating traverse guide for effecting biased traverse guide reversing.
 5. A belt traverse device as in claim 4 Wherein each cam driver member in said pair of cam driver members is notched.
 6. A belt traverse device comprising in combination, a. endless means mounted on spaced, rotating members at least one of which is driven, b. traverse rails, c. a traverse guide mounted to reciprocate on said traverse rails and provided with a yarn guide and a pair of cams, d. Cam driver means carried on said endless means for operatively contacting one of said pair of cams, and carried on said rotating members to operatively contact the other of said pair of cams in the reversals of said reciprocating traverse guide.
 7. A belt traverse device as in claim 6 further comprising resilient means for engaging with said traverse guide in the reversals of the latter. 